Online casino games are very entertaining, there is no doubt about that, but people do develop gambling problems.

It is not always obvious when someone is addicted to gambling, especially when recognising it regarding yourself and your own habits, so it is important to spot the signs before it leads to personal and financial ruin.

Chasing losses

This gambling tactic can be detrimental to online gamblers, as it can trap them and cause them to lose amounts significantly higher than their original losses.

Chasing your losses ends up, in the best case scenario, with your casino budget empty and in you piling up even more losses. At worst, it can lead to debt and often missing out on the wins you do get.

This is not only a sign that you are gambling wrong, but can also be a strong indication that you are never walking away happy.

Borrowing money

If you are becoming a compulsive gambler, this means that you need to be able to continue your addictive behaviour by doing whatever you can to gain access to cash.

This is often done by asking friends and family for money to fuel the addiction, without always admitting the real reason you need the money.

This can even go to the extremes of taking out loans, pawning items for cash and more. It’s a clear sign to stop and one of our top 5 tips for playing online casinos.

Gambling negatively affects your emotions

As we have already touched upon, gambling is supposed to be a form of entertainment – an exhilarating and fun experience.

However, one of the common signs that you might be gambling wrong is if you are constantly experiencing emotions that highlight a problem, such as a reduction in ambition or constantly feeling frustration or irritation.

This loss of emotional control can cause serious negative consequences in your mindset beyond the casino, but in life.

In short, if gambling isn’t fun anymore, it’s another sign to stop.

Gambling to escape

Another one of the common signs that gambling is becoming a problem is the fact that players may enjoy online casinos to distract themselves from what is going on around them.

It is something they do to feel better and escape from whatever is bothering them.

Recreational gamblers play for fun, just having a good time, whereas addicts utilise gambling as a form of escapism which makes it harder for them to give up.

It’s the difference between having a few pints of beer on a Saturday night for fun, and having a few pints of beer to drown your sorrows. Sure, you are still only having a few pints, but at the end of the day, one leads to a lot more trouble than the other.

Gambling with money you can’t afford to lose

When playing online casino games, bankroll management is essential as it allows the player to recognise how much money they have available to use.

However, if you are a problem gambler this thought process goes out the window and doesn’t stop with money which was set aside for the occasional bet.

You might think this goes with the ‘don’t borrow money to gamble’ point, it’s a little more subtle which is why it deserves it’s own point.

It starts with just spending more than you set aside, then you spend money budgeted for bills, savings and other necessities starts getting used. Stick to the budget, and if you start spending more, use the online casinos budgeting tools to stop you depositing more.

And if that doesn’t work, just stop. Again, when the fun stops, stop.

Summary

It is very important to spot the signs that you, or a loved one, is developing a gambling problem, as this could start the never-ending cycle of lies, half-truths, and deliberate distortion of facts.

By the time someone is deep into any kind of addiction, their behaviour becomes consistent and predictable, saying anything to get to their primary goal.

Gambling should always be seen as a fun and entertaining way to pass the time – rather than an escape from everyday troubles.

You can even play with more responsible casinos, such as Mr Green, who have developed special tools to help you keep you in control of your spending and who will let you know if you’re gambling pattern start to change or are out of the norm.